DIY singing experiment, almost Dec2023
Voice as an instrument
https://www.musical-u.com/modules/singing/vocal-control/
So i understand - from a teacher - that my voice has a stunning large range. Her words, and these words made me want to do something about it. In the back of my mind, beyond music and all the rest of the things you do in life, how much do you actually use yourself? Someone said we only use less than 10 percent of our capacities. If that is the case, we could use a little bit of that reserve of capacities for new things that we are interested. Its like owning millions and you could buy that little house with a big park that you liked.
Below,
Vocal control is powered by breathing. To be able to reliably and easily produce strong, clear, well-pitched notes, it is essential that your body is providing enough air to the voice and in the right way: the speed and concentration of how air is released through the mouth and nose. Higher voices tend to use a mixture of chest, nose and head depending on the range, while lower voices use the chest a lot more. Get a good grasp of your vocal range and work out which parts of your body you are using to create the sound.
Even if a particular song doesn’t require it, breathe deeply and fairly slowly so you have a good oxygen supply for each phrase of the song. The more air you have in your lungs, the stronger a foundation you have for a good sound. Over time and practising this technique, you will learn how to breathe more deeply at a quicker rate in a useful way.
The voicebox and throat should also be opened up to allow more air to go through the trachea at a slower rate, which is key to control. If you are struggling to open your throat, make sure your neck and shoulders are relaxed, and that your head is in a natural in-lined position. You can also use the artificial yawning trick: as you breathe in, pull your tongue back. You should feel a cold sensation on the back of your throat which is identical to what it feels like before you yawn!
A big secret is that singing quietly requires just as much air as singing loudly. Singing quietly is also a lot harder to sustain than singing loudly, because for loud sounds you can use projection to make your voice carry. With singing quietly, you have to sustain your voice with breathing and air supply rather than projection. So during a quiet passage, or in a more tender song like a ballad, make sure you remember to breathe!
More air passing your throat at a slower, more consistent rate is better for vocal control than less air passing through faster and more abruptly. If you think of a sneeze, you tend to breathe quite slowly, but then the nose and mouth causes the air to come out extremely quickly. Your lungs/diaphragm and nose/mouth work differently, so make sure you don’t force the sound out through your nose and mouth too quickly. This can happen even when you breathe in slowly and with control.
Practise singing wordless notes, going firstly from soft to loud. Try to grow the sound as slowly and consistently as possible. Then do it again but the other way around, loud to soft. Try to get as quiet as possible without losing the sound. Do it in different parts of your vocal range, as some will be stronger and more comfortable than others.
Developing Vocal Control
All of these principles are things to keep in mind each time you sing. Over time they will become second nature. At first just try them one at a time, and combine them with the specific vocal control exercises in this module. You will gradually train your voice to automatically do the right things any time you open your mouth to sing. Once you have mastered the vocal control exercises which follow, they will continue to be useful to “warm up” your voice, which means getting it ready to sing with easy and gentle exercises before really putting it to use – similar to stretching before you do exercise. By internalising the techniques above and using the following vocal control exercises as part of your warmup, you will continue to develop and refine your vocal control.
